


Mia's Illness

by bushfreak12



Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game), Ebberon
Genre: Anatomy, Elf/Human Relationship(s), F/M, First Love, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Love, Unplanned Pregnancy, When you ruin another person's character, When you ship something too much, When you start writing fanfic for your D&D sessions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-14
Updated: 2017-01-14
Packaged: 2018-09-17 09:36:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9316544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bushfreak12/pseuds/bushfreak12
Summary: 3 weeks to a human was 3 days to an elf. Mia has never loved before, and the speed of her relationship is surprising to her. One day she wakes up with a terrible pain in her abdomen, and soon enough she finds that something is very different...





	

Mia felt sick.

She hid it the best she could, smiling whenever Void was around and bearing through it. If she felt too dizzy, she excused herself from the party for some “privacy” until she reoriented herself. She told herself there was nothing wrong; she just hadn’t been feeling the best lately. She told herself she wasn’t scared.

This morning was worse. Mia knew it as soon as she woke. Wrapped in Void’s embrace she should’ve felt safe and warm, but all Mia felt was a crippling pain in her abdomen. She felt as though her innards were slowly being crushed. The pain was shocking, and Mia gritted her teeth. What was wrong with her? She wasn’t coughing or sniffling, and she knew she was eating. Mia was not negligent of her needs in any way, shape or form. Cramps such as this were usually a side effect of a monthly bleeding, and Mia was sure that was not the case in this circumstance.

She felt terrible. It frightened her more than anything had before. In her years of travel, Mia had faced a number of strange creatures and corrupted people in battle, situations where she easily could’ve lost her life. But this… she could not fight this; she didn’t even know what this was.

Flinching slightly at the pain, Mia buried her head into Void’s chest. It was nothing. She was fine.

She didn’t believe herself.

Slowly, the others came to consciousness around her. Sephias rose first as was his custom, and he turned to stoking the fire for breakfast. Dusk followed close behind if a bit groggier than his eladrin companion. He took it upon himself to rouse those still asleep: Fulgrim, the solemn dwarf, and Pjekos, the curious tiefling. Dusk turned to wake Void and herself, but he paused as they made eye contact. Mia tried at a knowing smile as if the only reason she still lay in Void’s arms was to not wake him. A smile to hide the fact that Mia didn’t dare move in case she would give away how much pain she was truly in.

Though Dusk was a kind man full of good intentions, he was not blessed with any amount of observance. He returned the smile with one of his own. “I’ll let you wake him up,” he whispered conspiratorially. Mia nodded, a bit of guilt gnawing at her. She didn’t like lying to Dusk- she didn’t like lying to any of them -and this felt like a lie.

She didn’t want to move, but Mia forced herself to pull away from Void. Immediately his eyes flickered open, and fondness overpowered Mia’s ailment for a moment. Void was always aware, always vigilant. Nothing went by him. Nothing save for her anyway.

“Morning,” Mia murmured, careful to remain cheerful. “Care for some breakfast?” Void’s gaze was impenetrable. He had the clearest blue eyes; they were what had caught her attention in the first place. She still remembered the way he’d confidently strode up to her, drink in hand. Mia had been startled; handsome men didn’t usually approach her in the way he did. And the things he had said… It had not been difficult for him to persuade her into his bed. The next morning she had expected him to leave, and yet all of the confidence he’d shown the night before fled him. He’d been unsure and sweet and a bit awkward as well, but when she had shown him her secret, he had not left her. Mia was an elf; she was accustomed to life taking its time with her. The suddenness in which Void came into her life was shocking, and Mia had found that she didn’t want to let go of that.

“Hey, lovebirds,” Dusk teased, “The food’s this way.” Void’s gaze broke to roll his eyes at the man, but there was a small smile on his face. The five had known each other before by extraordinary circumstances, and so Mia had worried how she would fit into their party. She soon found though that the weeks had been a learning experience for all of them. After 3 weeks of traveling and fighting with the group, Mia had no doubt that anyone of them would lay down their life for her, and she knew she would do the same for them. A human’s 3 weeks was an elf’s 3 days, and yet Mia already trusted them as family.

Void rolled to his feet with ease, and he extended a hand out to Mia. The gesture panicked her; What if she flinched? What if he saw. She smiled outwardly and took his hand, letting him pull her up. Her abdomen tightened at the action, but if Void had seen anything on her face, he didn’t react to it.

Standing was worse than laying down, and Mia swallowed down a bit of bile in the back of her throat. She ignored the fuzziness her vision took. Keeping her hand in Void’s, she accepted the freshly cooked venison Sephias offered her.

It smelled… wrong. Sephias raised a brow at her expression. “Is there something wrong?” he asked quietly, a hint of irritation in his voice. The eladrin was quite easy to offend.

“No,” Mia lied, “This just reminds me of the travels with my father. We once ate undercooked venison once; it didn’t go so well.” The smile she had as she thought of her family was genuine. “I don’t know why, but this just reminded me of that.” Sephias sniffed, but he seemed to accept her explanation.

As everyone sat to eat, Fulgrim and Pjekos struck up an argument about cards. Once the debate would have amused her as it did the others, but Mia was distracted by the unease that shook her. The venison looked fine; when she tore it, the meat inside was a solid brown. But the smell of it was nauseating. She found that she was reluctant to eat the meat despite how well-done it obviously was.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” she immediately replied, not even needing to process the lie before she gave it. But Void was not Dusk or Sephias. He picked up on the smallest of details, and though Mia had managed to hide so far, this time she was caught. Void’s eyes narrowed in disapproval.

“Don’t lie to me,” he muttered, soft enough only she could hear. And there was hurt in his voice, hurt that made Mia’s stomach turn further. A part of her wanted to come clean, but Mia pasted another smile on her face.

“I’m fine,” she assured him. Though she didn’t want to, she took a bite of the meat in her hand and chewed slowly. At first, she didn’t mind the taste at all, and then the scent of the meat hit her again. Mia gagged, hand flying to her mouth and dropping the meat. Oh no. The conversation halted as the elf bolted to her feet, swaying slightly. She vaguely heard her name; there was a hand at her back, steadying her.

Mia managed to make it 5 feet before she vomited. The sensation was awful to her stomach, and her throat burned. Alarmed cries filled the air, and Void was at her side a moment later. His voice called her name, but Mia’s focus was dominated by the unexpected illness. Again and again the bile rose to her mouth, burning her until tears were streaming from her eyes. Her sobs only made it worse. She couldn’t breathe.

Eventually her heaving slowed to the point where Void’s voice became apparent. Through her hysteria, she couldn’t make out the words, but his voice was low and soothing. His fingers traced slow circles at her lower back. Mia choked out another sob, struggling to swallow the acidic taste in her mouth. Why had she eaten that meat? Everything was quiet save for her choked, haggard sobs and Void’s soft, continuous reassurances. Her eyes burned with tears of exhaustion and shame. Why was she feeling this way? Why hadn’t she told Void she wasn’t feeling well? Why?

“Are you alright?” The tenderness in Void’s question brought more tears to Mia’s eyes. She was such a fool!

“Everything…” she choked out. “Hurts.” Someone was speaking, but their voice was too quiet to make out.

“Dusk has offered a healing spell,” Void relayed. “It may take some of the pain away.” Mia nodded. Anything, anything to ease the burning sensation. A new set of hands joined Void’s on her back. A warmth filled Mia, causing her to stiffen, but it wasn’t unpleasant. She recognized is as Dusk’s healing; he had helped her mid battle before. True to Void’s word, the warmth numbed the pain in her abdomen and throat and then soothed it. Her mouth still tasted disgusting, but Mia gave a shuddering breath of relief.

She was exhausted.

“Why?” Void asked quietly.

“I don’t know,” was the reply. “It wasn’t the meat; it was cooked through. Have you noticed anything before now?” The circling sensation paused.

“She’s been acting strange.” Void’s voice was dangerously low. “She… hesitates every now and again. Treads more carefully than usual.”

“Mia?” At the sound of her name, she straightened and turned to look at Dusk. His eyes held nothing more than deep concern. The rest of the group stood behind him, silent, staring. Mia looked at the ground. “How long have you been hiding this?” Her throat was dry, and Mia shuddered again.

“A week or so,” she admitted weakly. “At first I thought I was just tired…” She trailed off, closing her eyes with a sigh. She was tired. The only thing she wanted to do now was curl up and sleep. Dusk sighed himself.

“We can’t travel with her like this,” he announced. “A few spells may cure her of whatever bug she has, but the magic I have helps more with actual wounds rather than diseases. We would need a cleric for that.”

“So what do we do until then?” a gruff voice recognized by Mia as Fulgrim asked.

“We clean her up, sit tight, and keep an eye on her. It’s the best we can really do right now.”

 

As Void was unwilling to let Mia wash up without supervision, it was decided that Pjekos would watch after her as she bathed and redressed. Mia’s movements were lethargic, but she managed to clean the sweat and vomit off herself. Leathers splattered with the insides of Mia’s stomach, she changed into the spare dress she had. The fabric felt light against her newly cleaned skin.

Pjekos guided Mia back to the camp dutifully and wordlessly. A part of Mia was glad; the other was ashamed. She didn’t blame Pjekos for not wanting to talk; she wouldn’t want to talk to herself either. Mia’s misery only increased when she saw how tense everyone else was. They’d moved the camp slightly, so Sephias and Fulgrim were restarting the fire. Dusk was reading through a book, eyes narrowed in concentration. Void was cleaning her leathers. The gesture made Mia’s eyes swell with tears again. 3 weeks was only 3 days to an elf, and yet in that short amount of time Void had given her more than Mia had ever deserved. Void was not as kind as perhaps Pjekos or Dusk, especially in battle, but he had never been otherwise towards her.

When Void noticed the two were back, he set the leathers aside and beckoned Mia forward. She complied, sinking to the ground and into his arms. His breath was hot against the back of her neck. He held her close for a minute or so before he spoke.

“I’m sorry I didn’t notice earlier.”

“No,” Mia murmured bitterly, “This is my fault. I should’ve said something.” Void snorted quietly.

“You forget that Pride and I are lifetime friends. I knew better than to take your word when you were obviously so uncomfortable.” She took a breath to argue, but the kiss he gave to the back of her neck silenced her. “Just rest,” he ordered tenderly. Mia had only woken an hour ago, but it didn’t take long before sleep found her.

 

Dusk’s sudden cry startled Void from his dozing. Mia shifted slightly in his arms at the disturbance but slept on.

“What are you doing, going and scaring me like that?” Fulgrim grumbled. Dusk shook his head.

“Sorry, everyone. I didn’t mean to startle you. I just thought of something…” his voice trailed off, and Dusk frowned. Void narrowed his eyes at the man’s expression. It had taken some time to forgive Dusk for abandoning the Order. Sometimes Void still found the man untrustworthy, especially when Dusk got quiet. Dusk was not a quiet man.

“Do you have an explanation?” Void asked, quelling his urge to snap. A templar of the Silver Flame did not _snap_ at his companions. Dusk met his eyes for a moment… only to quickly look away. Void grew more suspicious. “Spit it out.”

“Well…” Dusk began. “I can’t confirm my theory without Mia’s input but…” Dusk swallowed. Void suppressed the urge to stand up and throttle him. “You and Mia have… slept together, right?”

Void stilled, the question catching him completely off guard. _What?_

“Yes,” he answered shortly, voice stiff. What did this have to do with Mia’s condition? Void and she had made love several times, yes, but how did that relate to her suddenly getting sick and vomiting… The realization of what Dusk was suggesting settled in. Void could feel his face warming as he gave the idea some thought.

“Have you seen her taking any herbs?” Dusk asked, voice rising an octave as if he could read Void’s thoughts.

No. No, Mia hadn’t been taking any herbs to his knowledge. He hadn’t even thought about it. He hadn’t even entertained the idea that their relationship might lead to something more. Silently, Void spoke a prayer to the Flame. How in the world could this have happened?

_Peace_ , he heard. _I am with you_.

“You believe Mianala is with child?” Sephias inquired, brow cocked. Dusk shrugged helplessly.

“Dizziness, nausea, cramps, mood swings: They’re all symptoms of a woman who…” he trailed off again.

Void didn’t know what to think. He sat there paralyzed, unable to think or move. The idea that the woman sleeping in his arms at that very moment was expecting _his_ child…

Sudden laughter broke through Void’s thoughts. He glared at Fulgrim though the effect was ruined by his heated face. “You rogue,” Fulgrim exclaimed. “You mean to tell me that our Void knocked up Mia?”

“Possibly,” Dusk supplied. “If she hasn’t been taking any precautions, it was bound to happen sooner or later.”

“Does she know?” They all looked to Pjekos. The tiefling shrugged. “It’s a good question. It may explain why she was scared to say something.”

Mia, _his_ Mia. With child. _His_ child. And scared. Scared because she knew? Or scared because she didn’t? A million prayers rattled off in his mind, pleading, begging the Flame for answers for assurance.

_Peace_ , she spoke again. _Everything is as it should be._ Void calmed, the Voice’s words soothing his fears. Tira had supported Void every step of the way with Mia. She had encouraged their relationship, blessed it herself. Who was to say that Tira had not blessed a child as well? Templars were not forbidden from raising families; on the contrary, it was encouraged. Female templars often married within the Order and were excused indefinitely to raise their children.

But _his_ child. No, _their_ child.

_There is no easy path_ , the Flame said softly. _There is simply what is right and what is not. You know which is which._

“What do we do?” Sephias asked. “If she is _indisposed_ as you say, she cannot travel with us.” Void stiffened at the implication though he knew the eladrin was correct. In this sort of condition, Mia would only slow them down. And what happened if they were attacked? She had been so sick today; there was no way she would’ve been able to fight. And if Void was distracted by her, that could get one of them seriously injured, if not killed. Void could not endanger his companions, but he couldn’t just leave Mia.

_You are mine,_ Tira whispered. _You, and anyone you deem precious. The Flame protects._

“How far are we from the nearest city?” The group stared at Void, obviously surprised at the question.

“You can’t be thinking of leaving her,” Dusk protested. Void glared at him.

“I’m not such a man,” he snarled, “To leave a woman because of a mutual misstep. However, Sephias speaks the truth; continuing to travel with us will only put her, and us, at risk. I cannot allow this; to do so would be dishonorable. So we travel to the nearest city, and I will contact the Silver Order.”

“To do what?” Dusk’s voice was strained.

“ _You_ may have strained relations with the Order, but I am one of their templars. Me and mine are well-treated; they will care for and protect her.” Void paused before adding, “Especially if she _is_ bearing my child. It is the best option I can supply.” Dusk still seemed hesitant, but Sephias nodded as if the matter were closed.

“There is a city about a day’s travel away,” he said. “How long do you suppose it will take before your Order can arrive?” Void shrugged.

“That depends on who and what are in the area. It will take a few days at best, a month at worse. In the case that the Order will be unable to arrive within the week, I will leave with her myself and rendezvous with you elsewhere.”

“Hope it doesn’t take that long,” Fulgrim noted. Void grimaced.

“As do I. But I will do what needs to be done.”

_Well said, Templar of Honour._ Void sighed deeply.

 

When Mia woke, it was twilight. The setting sun cast orange light across the camp as it slowly descended into the mountains. Her abdomen was aching again, the effects of Dusk’s spell apparently wearing away. She grimaced at the steady throb of her headache, but Mia pulled herself to her knees. A few yards or so away, Dusk was conversing quietly with Fulgrim, his face a mask of agitation; Fulgrim seemed worried himself. Sephias was reading his book while Pjekos seemed to be lazily dozing in the warm air.

Void sat a few feet away. He was staring at his blade, the silver sheen to the steel flickering in the orange light. Mia fought a smile at the correlation, a smile that quickly faded. Void seemed upset, almost as agitated as Dusk was.

“How do you feel?” Void didn’t even look at her when he spoke; his eyes were locked onto the symbol of his rank.

“The spell’s wearing off,” she told him honestly, “But I’m better than I was this morning.” Void was silent for a few moments.

“Do you know?” Mia furrowed her brow in confusion. Void looked as if his mind was a thousand miles away. Something had happened.

“Know what?” Mia couldn’t stop the dread that twisted within her, threatening to enclose around her throat. She wrapped her arms around herself to stop from trembling.

“Do you know that you’re expecting?” Mia stilled, her mind going blank.

Oh.

Void looked at her then, and he smiled dryly. “Judging by how white you just went, I suppose you didn’t.”

He turned back to his sword. “Dusk figured it out while you were sleeping. At first I couldn’t understand why he was asking about our love-making, but then… then it all fell into place.”

Oh.

No wonder he had asked. She had been acting suspicious the entire time, hiding her symptoms from him. And now Mia realized that she had been hiding from herself too. 3 weeks. 3 weeks had passed; Mia’s monthly was long overdue. The smell of the meat, the way she’d reacted to eating it, and wasn’t nausea a common side effect? There was no doubt that if Dusk was right that the child was Void’s. He had been the only man she had ever made love with after all. But then how far along was she? How long had she… been this way?

If Mia was honest with herself, she hadn’t been feeling well since those first 3 or so days.

3 weeks.

Mia swallowed her tears, struggling to hold herself together. What did this mean for her? Where did she go; What did she do? Save from interactions with her younger sisters, Mia had no experience with children at all. She was a Guardian; she traveled, she protected, she fought. Could she do that with a child? Had she broken her oaths through her relationship with Void?

Had she ruined that very relationship? To her frustration, a few tears escaped. She quickly wiped them away, but Void had already seen. He abandoned his sword on the ground and closed the distance between them, embracing Mia. He didn’t say anything, but the gesture was enough to convey everything. The shock, the fear, the uncertainty, but there was love there too. The presence of that love soothed Mia’s panic. He wouldn’t leave her; Void would not abandon her for her mistake.

“Tomorrow morning we’re taking you to the city,” he told her. “There I’ll be reaching out to the Order.”

“You’re going on without me.”

“Yes.” His lips brushed the tip of her ear. “Being… what you are to me, the Silver Order has the sworn duty to take you in. They will keep you safe, and they will care for you. You belong to me, and I belong to the Flame. It is how it is.”

“Don’t forget me,” Mia whispered, voice soft. “Please don’t forget me.”

“Never,” he swore.

**Author's Note:**

> Basically when I ship something too much and can't stop myself.  
> All the characters in the story belong to my players in the Ebberon campaign except for Mia. She was a random character that our Void inspired when he decided to do something stupid, and now it has turned into an adorable, awkward mess. I let my player read the fic, and he loved it and gave me permission to ruin his character further.  
> So here. Have fluff.
> 
>  
> 
> i love these two too much.


End file.
